United States Inward Investing Guide

Location USA is a guide for international companies looking to invest or establish operations within the United States. Location USA provides practical advice and guidance about facilities deployment, labor force skills, taxes and incentives, and more. For specific information on all 50 states, utilize the State Resources links.

Select Tennessee for Your Next Investment

Area Development Online Research Desk (Location USA / April 2013)

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Tennessee’s ideal location,
strong transportation
infrastructure, low costs of
doing business, and high
quality work force provide
an attractive setting for
investments from around the
globe. With most major U.S.
markets within a day’s drive,
Tennessee provides immediate
access to eight interstate
highways, an extensive
network of railways and
waterways, and the world’s
second-busiest freight airport
in Memphis.

Our business-friendly climate
also features no personal
income tax and one of
the lowest tax burdens in
the country. We’re a rightto-
work state with competitive
incentives that include
job training and infrastructure
grants, a special economic
development fund, tax
credits, and applicant
recruitment and screening.

Let the Volunteer State
check off the essential factors
you’re considering in an
important expansion or location
decision. Here’s why you
should select Tennessee:

Location and Infrastructure:
With most major U.S. markets
within a day’s drive,
Tennessee’s central location
offers immediate
access to eight interstate
highways; more than 1,000
miles of waterways connecting
to river ports in 21
states and three ocean
ports; and six commercial
airports, including Memphis
International, the world’s
second-busiest freight airport
and home to the FedEx
Super Hub.

Qualified Work Force:
Tennessee offers a statewide
comprehensive educational
system with nine public universities,
13 community colleges,
27 technology centers,
and 34 independent colleges
and universities.

Cost of Doing Business:
Tennessee boasts one of
the nation’s lowest business
tax burdens, including no
personal income tax on
wages and salaries.

Business Friendly:
Tennessee is a right-to-work
state preventing compulsory
union membership, and only
4.6 percent of the work
force statewide is in a union.
Tennessee is also an
employment-at-will state
providing employers with the
right to hire or dismiss
employees as business conditions
demand.

Sound Fiscal Management:
A testament to the state’s
prudent fiscal management,
Tennessee has consistently
received the highest credit
ratings from the three major
U.S. bond rating agencies
and has one of the lowest
debts per capita of any state
in the United States.

Investment Incentives:
Tennessee offers competitive
financial incentives that
include public infrastructure
grants, employee job training
grants, a special economic
development fund, and a variety
of tax credits and sales
and use tax exemptions.